Cybersecurity
CISA urges water utilities to take exposed systems down after Minnesota hacks
A memo distributed to water industry members and obtained by Nextgov/FCW makes mention of Iran but does not directly present evidence attributing the latest Minnesota incident to the country.
Why large events require smarter, long-term security investments
COMMENTARY | The just-concluded World Cup and upcoming Olympics highlight the need to plan beyond the stadium or venue and support public safety years after fans go home.
Inside the World Cup security operation
A massive effort years in the planning at the federal, state and local level helped keep the tournament safe, even as it faced enormous threats of many kinds that all needed mitigating.
FCC blocks approval of new foreign-made robots, power inverters
National security agencies said the devices could create supply-chain vulnerabilities, threaten critical infrastructure and enable surveillance or remote manipulation.
Russian hackers can steal government emails without victims clicking a link, cyber agencies warn
The Russia-linked Laundry Bear group has compromised more than 10 Western organizations through malicious emails that can trigger an exploit when they are viewed or previewed.
Insights & Reports
AI, once relegated to helping hackers with certain tasks, can now power every stage of a cyberattack
Researchers determined that AI was used in steps across entire cyber operations to identify security flaws, generate commands and carry out parts of intrusions, sometimes with little human oversight. Both U.S. and Chinese AI models have been involved.
A Puerto Rico government agency exposed 1M Social Security numbers
A cybersecurity loophole in an official government mapping service left private data easily accessible, Centro de Periodismo Investigativo and ProPublica learned.
Government groups call for $300M to fund cyber grant program
Various state and local organizations urged the Senate in an open letter to appropriate the money for Fiscal Year 2027 to the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program.
Texas investigates 2 major data breaches
Around 3 million hunting and fishing license customers in the state had their data exposed, according to a recent notification, while another 800,000 cruise line customers had their data breached.
Inside Indiana’s cybersecurity education expansion
The initiative is the first in the nation to also strive to connect students with military service, in addition to careers and higher education.
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US officials see Iran cyber threat persisting despite preliminary deal
Officials’ views reflect a recurring concern that cyber operations would continue regardless of conflict status, even as the Trump administration pursues a diplomatic off-ramp with Tehran.
The evidence is on camera. Keeping it there requires an identity resilience strategy
COMMENTARY | Footage captured by CCTV and other devices is only as trustworthy as the identity infrastructure controlling it.
Cyber framework harmonization is a thorny, yet not intractable issue, experts say
Those inside and outside government agree harmonizing and streamline cyber regulations would save time and compliance costs. A consensus might be emerging around what to do next.
As AI scales in government, visibility, zero trust and data protection are critical
COMMENTARY | States and localities are embracing the technology but must keep several security challenges in mind as they do so. As AI evolves, controls must evolve too.
Exclusive
Lawmaker proposes overhaul of critical infrastructure cyber plans as AI threats rise
The measure would require CISA to refresh long-outdated sector cybersecurity plans as lawmakers warn that advanced AI tools could accelerate the discovery and exploitation of software flaws.
Building cyber-resilient payroll systems in government
COMMENTARY | Cybersecurity needs to be built into everything that keeps government running, especially as payroll is one of the most critical systems in operation.
Lawmaker unveils bill to restore cyber information-sharing program funding
Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee also sent letters to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin and to every governor urging them to support state and local cyber defense.
New federal privacy bill called a ‘consensus’ of existing state laws
Congress is trying again for a national data privacy standard that would preempt current regulations in 22 states, but opponents argue a patchwork is better than this effort.
How agencies can balance AI’s potential and risks for cyber attacks
Through adequate AI training and keeping humans in the loop of AI-driven solutions, governments can harness the technology to address increasing cyber threats to the public sector, speakers said during a recent event.
Hackers are already laying groundwork to disrupt the 2026 midterms, research says
The report from cybersecurity firm Check Point lands as the Trump administration pushes new voting rules and intelligence officials face questions about how they are handling foreign election threats.
